Arma Angelus Interview
One. First of all , I have to admit that your debut CD is amazing & impressed me very much! In retrospect are you satisfied with the CD? Is there anything you would change or do differently next time?
The thing with the cd is when we decided to record it we went to a studio that had never done any heavy bands before because we wanted it to sound really unique. The guy had done a lot of hiphop, punk and more than anything rock n roll and was really respected for all that. So we went for a different kind of vibe. We definitely wanted to get some of that bigger, wall of sound, rock on it. At the time I really liked the recording but I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to these things and now I would say that I would like to raise the vocals out a bit, give the bass drum a better sound and make the guitars a little bit warmer sounding. I would compress it less in the mix, too. Overall we were going for a feeling of drear, confusion, gloom and the need to feel closeness- I think this comes across. So we accomplished what we wanted with it. In May we are going to record with ken olden at Monster Island in Washington d.c. So we are all really excited about that.
Two. Go ahead & tell the people about your previous bands. While you’re at it, does all that ‘x-members of..’ talk irritate you?
Okay, our ex-girlfriends: Birthright, Everlast, Extinction, Halfmast, Hinckley, and Racetraitor.
I don’t think the talk irritates me. It’s a legitimate question and helps establish our credibility. It only becomes a problem when bands can’t escape their past. I think in the aftermath of these bands, we all wanted to do something different. We’ve all done many different kinds of bands ranging for hardcore to grind to metal. After people hear us they don’t think “oh, Racetraitor” or “hey, Extinction” though we obviously carry elements from all of these former bands. When we originally started jamming we wanted something unique. There are too many run of the mill bands in hardcore/metal today. I think we all felt let down and some despair at where this (hardcore, life, the world) was going and this band definitely feeds that. I mean it amazes me the same music allows me to express how I want to kill someone gives Dan, our guitarist, a spiritual outlet. I look at these guys, my best friends, on stage and I can see in their eyes that it means just as much to them as it does to me.
Three. Can you explain to me the set up of the songs on the CD? Are they broken up into sections or what? Ex. ‘Old Noise’ , ‘Current Sound Disasters’ ‘The Future Of the Air Waves’
They refer to the chronological order of when the songs were written- the direction we are moving in and the one from which we are coming.
Four. How did you come up with name & for god sakes what does it mean?
Our friend d.j. rose actually deserves the credit for this one. It means The Weapons of Angels in Latin.
Five. What movie does the sample come from on the first song? It sounds so familiar I just can’t put my finger on it.
Ransom. Shhhh. Don’t tell anybody.
Six. I have to compliment the band on your very original sound. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to hear something other than the ‘typical’ metalcore. Arma Angelus has an almost retro 70’s metal sound. Combining the slow crushing feel of Fu Manchu & Black Sabbath with the energy of hardcore. Would you agree with my description?
You throw in carcass “swangsong”, damnation ad, and the cure and that is a pretty descriptive orgy of our sound. Again bands often say “we were going for an original sound”, bullshit, well you missed- you are too busy worrying about how to work that mosh part in, oblivious to any kind of artistic expression that won’t end in a spin kick or talking to a sixteen year old girl. Obviously we all have our influences. These are ours. Nothing anyone writes or says is original. It is all a combination of things we have heard or read before. It’s how you put these together and come up with new equations that differentiate artists from each other. I would like to think that we do this in a unique way. Besides the fact that we have all been playing in hardcore bands for a while and really don’t have the same tastes that we did when we were in high school or two years ago. It’s all about evolution!
Seven. How did you hook up with the good people from Happy Couples Never Last & what does your future hold label-wise?
This is probably the question we are asked most often in interviews. We hooked up with HCNL because Clark was a cool guy. It’s not a label that would usually carry a band that has a sound like ours and we appreciate that. He’s a cool guy. We wanted to put out a different sounding record, so, a different label sounded best. We talk to other labels and bigger labels but it’s a matter of coming across as a cool guy to us. We all have jobs or school so we are not reliant on this band to be our career. That would be great one day but fortunately right now we are not “slaves to the best deal” we can go with the coolest guy, not to say a big label and a good deal is a bad thing. Right now, this is an outlet for us, a medium to communicate, whoever helps us do that is the best label for us.
Eight.How has the response been as far as shows go? What ‘type’ of show do you feel most comfortable on?
Generally the response is good. Usually the response is better the second time we play towns after everyone has heard the record and had a chance to digest it. Some towns have been great right off the bat Chicago [of course], Syracuse, Rochester, etc. We’ll pretty much play any show. I think we’re moving to the point where we can play hardcore/metal shows as well as something a bit less abrasive.
Nine. Are you working on any new material right now? If so, how will it differ from the debut? I would love to hear the band experiment more with the ‘grungy metal’ style!
Definitely. Dan and I write most of the songs and usually have about four songs in the on deck circle while we’re working on one with the band. All I can say is the new stuff expresses the vibe of the EP to a further extreme. We are taking more time with it. It is definitely more rock, and experiments in other areas of heavy music while still including signature stoner rock parts and plodding gloom parts. I’m really excited about it actually, just incorporating a whole slew of new shit for our stage show and our sound to hopefully blow people away.
Ten. Are there any tour plans for the near future?
Totally. The Arma Angelus army is set to destroy the west coast this spring, then, hopefully the whole U.S. this summer with some friends of ours.
Eleven. Thanks for your time , I wish the band nothing but the best. You have Burning Season’s support , 110%! Any last words before you die?
Thanks for the interview. To book us write handsome devil booking: xtiradex@aol.com general info: brokehalo7@aol.com website under construction: www.chicagohardcore.com/arma
– listen to black sabbath and save me a place in hell.